FAA Aircraft Dispatcher (ADX)Flight Planning and PerformanceEasy
A dispatcher reviews the following METAR for the destination airport: 'KABC 151853Z 27015G25KT 3SM -RA BKN015 OVC025 08/06 A2992'. What is the reported ceiling at KABC?
- A800 feet
- B2,500 feet
- C1,500 feet
- D3 statute miles
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. 1,500 feet
Ceiling is defined as the height of the lowest layer of clouds reported as broken (BKN) or overcast (OVC), or a vertical visibility into an obscuration. Since BKN015 is below OVC025, the ceiling is 1,500 feet, not the higher overcast layer.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Not derivable from this METAR; not a ceiling value.
- B. This is the overcast layer, which is above the true ceiling.
- D. This is the reported surface visibility, not the ceiling.
METAR Ceiling Definition
The ceiling is the height of the lowest layer of clouds reported as broken, overcast, or an obscuration (vertical visibility), regardless of higher cloud layers.
- Only BKN, OVC, or VV count as a ceiling
- The lowest qualifying layer defines the ceiling
- FEW and SCT layers never count as a ceiling
Memory trick: 'Broken or Blocked, that's the Deck' — lowest BKN/OVC is your ceiling.